WILLIAM WHIPPLE

Portrait of a military general sitting at a desk with a quill, wearing a dark uniform with gold epaulets, in a historical painting style.

BORN - January 14, 1730, at the Whipple Garrison House in Kittery, Maine north of Portsmouth, NH (now part of Maine). Parents (English ancestry) – William Whipple (b1695-d1751), Mary Cutt Whipple (b1698-d1727). Seven Children – William Whipple (b1723-d1725), Hannah Whipple (b1725-d1730), Mary Whipple Traill (b1728-d1791), William Whipple, Jr. (b1730-d1785), Hannah Whipple Brackett (b1734-d1805), Robert Cutt Whipple (b1736-d1761), Joseph Whipple (b1738-d1816).

DIED – November 28, 1785 (age 55) in Portsmouth, NH from a heart ailment. Religion – Congregationalist (Puritan). Buried – Old North Burial Ground, Portsmouth, NH.

APPEARANCE – The picture above is the painting of William Whipple painted by Walter Gilman Page in 1897. Strong mind, quick discrimination, easy and unassuming manners, correct habits, friendships constant.

FAMILY – Married – Katharine Moffatt (b1734-d1821) in 1767. One Child – William Whipple Jr. (b1772-d1773, age one).

OCCUPATION – SEA CAPTAIN, MERCHANT, LEGISLATOR, SOLDIER, JUDGE. Attended public school and was tutored. Established a successful merchant business in Portsmouth, NH in 1759. Member of the Continental Congress representing New Hampshire from 1776 to 1779. Served as a Judge in the New Hampshire Superior Court.

AT SIGNING – Age 46 at signing.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1779. General of the NH Militia in 1777. Participated in the successful expedition against the British at the battles of Stillwater and Saratoga, NY. Led another NH Militia brigade at the Battle of Rhode Island in 1778.

HISTORIC SITES

Portsmouth Home – Moffatt-Ladd House (1763). Located at 154 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801, Phone 603-436-8221, Website www.moffettladd.org. William Whipple lived in the house from 1768 until his death in 1785.

Birthplace – Whipple (Cut) Garrison House, Kittery, ME (1665), on a small cove along the Piscataqua River. Located at 88 Whipple Street, Kittery, ME 03904. Birthplace of William Whipple.

Gravesite - Old North Burial Ground, Portsmouth, NH (1753). Located on Maplewood Avenue in Portsmouth, NH.

Church – North Church of Portsmouth (1713 / 1854). Located at 2 Congress Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801, Phone 603-436-8220, Website www.northchurchportsmouth.org. William Whipple was a member of the church.

Battlefield – Saratoga National Historical Park, Stillwater, NY (1777). Located at 648 NY Route 32, Stillwater, NY 12170, Phone 518-664-9821, Website www.nps.gov/sara. General Whipple fought in the battle in 1777, which resulted in a decisive American victory and turning point in the war.

A large, light blue historic house with white trim, three stories, a staircase leading to the front door, and a white picket fence.

Home of William Whipple, Moffatt-Ladd House, Portsmouth, NH (1763).

Located at 154 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801, Phone 603-436-8221, Website www.moffettladd.org.

The house was built for merchant John Moffatt (the father of William Whipple’s wife, Katharine) in 1763. William Whipple lived in the house from 1768 until his death in 1785. Portraits, furnishings, letters, manuscripts, and textiles tell the story of 150 years of family history at the site. Outside is a horse chestnut tree which Whipple planted in 1776 with seeds that he brought back from Philadelphia.